Sheet materials made with polymers and having an embossed grain-like or other surface design have been prepared in the past by a number of methods. Polymeric imitation leather sheet materials have been prepared, for example, by casting directly onto a pre-embossed release paper a polymeric material and then stripping the paper from the polymer surface. Surface designs produced by this method generally exhibit extremely shallow and nondistinctive grain designs. Another technique has been to employ a more deeply pre-embossed release sheet to obtain a more distinctive grain effect; however, air is often entrapped in the valley areas and the valley areas become distorted in appearance. A further method has been to emboss a grain-like surface design under heat and pressure onto a polymeric sheet material. This method usually compresses the polymeric layer into the nap or open spaces of the supporting fabric sheet, resulting in a product which often exhibits unsatisfactory hand, drape and break properties. Accordingly, there exists a need for a sheet material with an enhanced grain appearance which exhibits satisfactory leather-like properties, and to a method for preparing such material.